LANDIS — If you grew up in Landis or the area back in the day, you likely remember having a hot dog or a banana split at the Landis Dairy Bar.

However, the local landmark has been closed for a number of years, leaving passersby with nothing but the memories of their old stomping grounds, but no longer.

On Tuesday, the Landis Dairy Bar held a soft opening. New owner Melissa Riffle was greeting customers who all seemed delighted to see the place back open.

Riffle has a long illustrious history in food service.

“The only thing I’ve really ever done is working in restaurants,” she said. “I was born and raised in What-A-Burger. That was my first job working.”

In fact, Riffle still has ties to What-A-Burger and Hwy. 29 North and South, other southern Rowan institutions.

Returning the Landis Dairy Bar to its rightful place among the local eateries has been a pleasant project for Riffle though. She’s grateful for her children that have been so helpful in making this goal a reality (Gage, 27; Jayda, 20; Jordan, 19; Annika, 18; Laila, 17; Kailey, 15; and Mika, 14, Riffle).

Riffle indicated that she is ready to roll up her sleeves and start serving her customers thanks to a complete remodel in the kitchen that involved everything from the gas and water lines to flooring and foundation and a complete new hood system.

“We bought the building and we wanted to do right,” Riffle said.

Although she never ate at the Landis Dairy Bar, she knows how much it meant to so many people and she’s happy to be a part of bringing it back.

“We kept the name Landis Dairy Bar because of the town loving this place so much,” she said.

Most people who have driven through Landis have seen the town’s massive mural on East Ryder Avenue.

“The L (in the mural) is the Landis Dairy Bar, and that was painted probably, like, six years after this place was shut down,” Riffle said. “So clearly, it was a nostalgic thing that this town didn’t want to let go of it … so when I bought the building and they asked me, ‘What are you going to do here?’ I said, ‘I’m going to reopen the Landis Dairy Bar.’

“From the response from the older crowd, like Miss Libby Sides … they have a lot of emotional memories attached to this place, like, it means something to them.”

Sides worked at the Landis Dairy Bar in the late 1970s.

“We worked six days a week,” Sides said on Tuesday. “Went to work at 10 a clock. Got off at four. We had three hamburgers for a dollar. Four hotdogs for a dollar. We had milkshakes, banana splits, fries and onion rings.”

Sides said that she was happy about the Landis Dairy Bar reopening, adding, “I’ll be glad when they make banana splits.”

Today, Sides has her own restaurant in Kannapolis called Libby’s Pit Stop.

On Tuesday, Keith Rogers was back in the Landis Dairy Bar for the first time in 20 years.

“Me and my old boss used to come through here for the hot dogs,” he said. “We used to do new construction and we were building a house out this way, the last time we were out here.”

Rogers and a coworker were treating themselves to some ice cream before heading back to Salisbury. Rogers got butter pecan.

When it comes to her offerings, Riffle said she is keeping it simple.

“We may have some surprises in the future, like secret menu items, but for now, we’re starting basic and then, you know, getting things rolling,” she said.

For lunch and dinner, burgers, sandwiches, hot dogs and an abundance of sides will be available.

“If I had to describe it, it would be like, almost like the menu is similar to What-A-Burger,” she said. “In other words, like fast, quick things. Culinary geniuses don’t have to work here. It’s pick it from here, put it in the grease.”

By the look of the crowd on Tuesday, Landis appears happy to have its Dairy Bar back.

“We’re excited about this place,” Riffle said. “We think it’s gonna go well.”